The new head of the Roman Catholic Congregation of Bishops, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, said a combination of secrecy in certain corners of the Church and a general degeneration of mores in society at large combined to cause and aggravate the sexual abuse scandal from which the Church is still recovering.

“I think there was a certain culture of secrecy along with an ignorance of the psychological consequences of sexual abuse in parts of the Church in which people were displaced instead of really taking the problem very seriously,” he said in an interview from Quebec City yesterday. “[For those who committed abuse] there was no coherence between their lives and pastoral service.”

Cardinal Ouellet’s new role, which he will shortly take up in Rome, is considered one of the most important internal Vatican positions, perhaps only second to the papacy itself. He will advise Pope Benedict directly on who will make the best bishops, essentially picking those leaders who will guide the Church over next few decades. Those bishops in turn will appoint the new generation of priests.

“My role is to help the Holy Father to provide the best pastoral leadership for the Church. And that’s the big challenge ahead of me, especially in the context of what has gone on. We need people who can teach with eloquence and compassion the moral implications of the Gospel.”

He said the seriousness of the abuse scandal is evident by just how difficult it is for the Church “to turn the page” on these events.

But he added the problems of sexual abuse also have to be seen in the larger context of the greater society whose mores have weakened.

“When the consequences are visible in the Church, it shows something vigorous has to be done.”

Along with the scandal, there has also been a retreat of the Catholic faith in many parts of the West, especially in Europe, an issue the new crop of bishops will have to face.

Cardinal Ouellet and Pope Benedict have been close friends for years are said to have a deep mutual respect for one another.

Jacques Monet, Jesuit priest and Church historian in Toronto, believes Cardinal Ouellet’s friendship will help, not hinder, his ability to retain his independence and influence.

“Pope Benedict wants to have someone whom he knows well and trusts, and because they are good friends there is a mutual respect. Cardinal Ouellet will have influence and he won’t just be a ‘yes man.’

“I think for the internal workings of the Church this is the most important position there is. The recommendations he makes to Pope Benedict could set the tone of the Church for decades to come.”

Like Pope Benedict, Cardinal Ouellet believes that many Catholics interpreted the teachings of Vatican II as far too liberal and by doing so disconnected from the core of their faith.

Unfortunately, he said, it led to priests abandoning celibacy, a drop in proper religious education and a general infusion of leftist politics — all of which was not the intention of the council.

“After the council, the sense of mission was replaced by the idea of dialogue. That we should dialogue with other faiths and not attempt to bring them the Gospels, to convert. Since then, relativism has been developing more broadly.”

In May, Cardinal Ouellet was taken to task by some in Canada because he stated that abortion is wrong even in the case of rape. That story made headlines everywhere, even though he was simply reiterating what has always been the Church position on abortion.

In an attempt to heal the wounds of his remarks, he held a press conference with Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa that called on people on both sides of the issue to work toward reducing the number of abortions. The two men acknowledged that abortion would not be made illegal any time soon. Their comments got little notice.

“I went directly to the press. I think it was bold to do that. There was a need to awaken conscience, to speak from our hearts, talk about basic values.”

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